Roommates or more?
by Jude Morgenstern
Summary: Laxus and Cane are roommates that stick together through crazy neighbours, ex-girlfriends and more drama then should be delt out to any two people. but will their bond turn into something more, or will Laxus give up Cane forever? read, review and enjoy! modern au, Laxana main pairing (male Cana Cane), rated m for language, themes, lemon/yaoi in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

A/N: ok so this plot bunny has been running rampant through my brain since I decided to do a laxana multiverse because it correlates with a later chapter in my main story Magic Merge. I wanted to put them in all kinds of situations and see if they would still work out without being ooc. Plus my friend said to me a while ago 'anything goes in an au' so I just really wanted to try it out while still pulling it off. And this is what it melted down to- shonen ai. I've watched a fair bit of shonen ai lately for a school project (yes I legitimately pulled off watching anime as school work) and I thought of a lot of parallels which I could draw and here we are. So in this fic Cana is a dude, I picked the name Cane because Cana in Spanish means Cane so it was kinda a no brainer.

Anyways, this story is a lot different than my other works which usually have some legit plot, or something going on at least. This is just an angsty, funny, romantic dump pot of Laxana goodness (with shorter chapters). If you don't like shonen ai then please don't read this because when it comes down to it its two guys in love and if that makes you uncomfortable then you were warned prior.

So anyways, as always read, review and enjoy (I'll try to update as regularly as possible :-D)

Disclaimer: I do not own fairy tail

The irritating buzzer rang through the apartment, the thin walls doing nothing to cancel the sound.

"Coming!" Laxus yelled and thankfully the damn piece of crap stopped making that god awful sound. He trudged to the door through the slim corridor, wooden floorboards creaking slightly under his weight, preparing himself for any possibility after the last roommate applicant was just too horrendous to willingly recall. He gripped the brass door handle, taking in a deep breath before opening the thick cedar door. What it revealed was slightly anticlimactic; tall, slim build with cropped brunette hair and big brown eyes- just a normal guy. Laxus fought the need to sigh with relief as the guy turned to face him.

"Hey man, are you Laxus?" he asked, brows furrowed as if expecting a negative response.

"Yeah, I'm guessing your Cane?" he replied, walking back down the hallway, Cane in toe, glancing about curiously.

"Ahh yeah, I think I must've copied down the wrong address. I knocked on the door next to yours and this woman ran out in a towel thinking I was a courier or something then this big guy with black hair showed up and thought I was… god I don't even know what." He explained, fingers at his temples. Laxus merely chuckled, sparing him a sympathetic glance. They entered the living space, the grungy carpet taking up a large portion of the floor, its once intricate patterns worn away with use and age. Cane glanced into the kitchen; the unimpressive mix of lino, tiles and ancient wooden cupboards was slightly comforting.

"Yeah that's Levy and Gajeel. Levy's been waiting for this book delivery for a week now so every time someone knocks on her door she gets a bit jittery." He explained, taking the liberty of slumping into his armchair, the cushions grooved comfortably to his form, legs splayed up over the sides in typical Laxus fashion. He nodded to the couch and Cane gratefully took his seat, not paying much attention to the fraying material and age old stains.

"So how come you're lookin' for a roommate?" he asked, his casual body language ticking all the right boxes.

"My mate went back to the army and there's no point having a spare room I'm not gonna use." He replied, running a hand through his hair. Cane nodded, glancing around the apartment lazily, his eyes glancing over the paintings and pictures placed at odd intervals, as well as ornaments that he supposed had some value to the man sitting across from him.

"I just got kicked out of my ex-girlfriends place," he said, pausing for a moment, "and that about sums it up." He said, attention back on Laxus. The lightning shaped scar digging into his flesh was the only thing of note, other than of course the rippling muscles coating every inch of his body, but Cane guessed there were a couple inches of his body that weren't covered in muscle…

"Tough break man," Laxus said with a grin, Cane obviously not taking the split too seriously. Cane shrugged, leaning back in to the couch.

"You know what it's like with girls, solid one minute fucking insane the next." Cane said, grinning as he tilted his head to the side. "So what's the deal?" he asked, the first serious glint rising in his eyes. Laxus nodded briefly, standing to grab a stack of papers sitting on the kitchen counter which was very bare, Cane noted.

"It's really just about ticking boxes. $150 a week rent, we split expenses 50/50 and there are a few house rules, just the usual stuff." He said, setting them on the table to allow Cane to flick through them. He reached over, nodding as he read through the agreement. A few minutes later Cane's head rose, satisfied with the conditions.

"I can get all the legal stuff together by this afternoon." Cane said, shifting the papers back towards Laxus. "There's a couple things you should know about me before we agree to anything." Cane said, his expression hardening slightly. Laxus began to feel dread building in the pit of his stomach; he was some scientology nutcase or something. "I'm bi-sexual," he said, pausing to gauge Laxus' reaction "I just don't want it coming out later and something weird goes down." He said, fists clenched but his anxiety was unfounded. Laxus shrugged, thankful it was something so simple.

"That's cool man, I'm straight but as long as you make sure to put the tie on the door we should be right." He said, extending his hand which was gratefully grasped by Cane, a relieved grin on his face.

"Well, when can I move in?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: hey, another exceedingly short chapter but I'm just trying to get into the swing of writing a male Cana so just persevere with me and hopefully we'll get a story worth reading

Just for the record I'm Australian so especially with this kind of story it's going to affect how I write guys hanging out and interacting. I've been to the USA for a month on exchange so I can understand if people from other countries are a little confused but then again that sort of comes with the fan fiction deal. Either way I hope you guys can enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

Anyways, as always read, review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"Hey Laxus, wanna go get a beer?" Cane suggested, his shoulder brushing Laxus' arm good naturedly. Laxus ran a hand through his hair as he often did when contemplating something, his eyes staring out into the distance where they slid over a woman with long white hair, eyes bright. Laxus grinned, taking her in as Cane waited rather impatiently for a reply. "If you don't wanna go man, I can call up Loke." Cane insisted nudging him once again in a vain attempt to get his attention- his eyes were on the swaying hips of a beautiful woman walking away, a bag of shopping in her hand.

"Shut up mate, can't you see I'm busy." Laxus said, his stare intense. Cane's brow furrowed in confusion, following his line of sight until his gaze landed on the mystery woman.

"Mira!?" Cane said in shock, glancing at the unnerving glint in Laxus' eye. Laxus turned to him, slinging an unwanted arm around his shoulders, his grin widening.

"You know her?" Laxus asked, this level of enthusiasm about anything other than early rent money was slightly frightening. Cane gave him a concerned look, shrugging out of his grasp with much difficulty.

"Yeah, we work together. Though she's way more work than she's worth mate, just steer clear of that one." Cane said shaking his head regretfully, "It's a shame but you can't change the way things are." Cane said, patting Laxus on the back heartily in an attempt to cement his dismissal but Laxus would not so easily be dissuaded.

"Come on mate, a girl that fine's gotta be worth it." Laxus insisted, his grip on Cane's shoulders tightening uncomfortably. There was one thing Cane couldn't stand, actually there were many but one very near the top of his list was people entreating on his personal space. He shrugged off Laxus, shaking his once more, his stare solid.

"It aint gonna happen man." Cane repeated once again, leaning against Laxus' faded sky blue station wagon. "It's too many hoops to jump through for any one man." But to Cane's annoyance Laxus merely grinned.

"Good thing there's two of us," he replied, his co-conspiratal tone frustrating Cane to the point where he considered hitting his new found friend though those muscles were too intimidating to risk it.

"Listen, you've got no idea how insane her family is. The shit she's told me about her dad and potential son-in-law's would make any man cover his crotch and run for it." Cane insisted, slipping his hands into his pockets, stubble giving him an indie look a girl in high school said made him look hot- it'd worked pretty damn well ever since, not just on the ladies.

"Give me the worst." Laxus ordered, tipping his head back arrogantly, though Cane new by now that it was merely a mannerism of his. Cane rolled his eyes, turning away from the blonde to grasp the handle.

"Plus I have to protect my cousin from guys like us." Cane said with a grin, watching Laxus' eyes widen in shock, regret flashing across his face before his usual blank mask covered his features. Cane slipped into the passenger seat, as Laxus walked around to the driver's seat, his balled fists an obvious give away that he was more irritated than he was willing to confess. He slipped into his seat, slamming the door before finally shooting Cane an accusing glare.

"You could of bloody told me straight up." He snapped, pulling out of the car space, thankful that Thursday late night shopping allowed him to avoid traffic and lines of cars waiting for a single spot. Though the relief was short lasting as a single look at Cane's smug grin made him want to forget about the steering wheel and smack the smug off his face. However they couldn't afford to spare the groceries in the backseat if they got into a crash.

Laxus sighed to himself, a quick exhale of breath which helped with the tension building in his fists.

"So are you still up for going for that beer?" Cane asked, being a smart arse was a habit that died hard.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: ok so for the third chapter I wanted to get a little plot going, nothing to serious but get prepared for a cliffhanger, all shall be explained (maybe :-P) in the next chapter. As always read review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"My Uncle Kyoya Strauss owns the bar and gave me a job here when I finished school." Cane explained, sipping from his hip flask rather than his already empty glass. "What better place for a drunk to work than a pub?" Cane said, a grin spreading across his face as his eyes slid over fine young lady after fine young lady. Laxus returned the grin, his eyes darting about as there seemed to be no shortage of beautiful women to entertain himself with.

"You're living the dream, mate." Laxus said in awe as a blonde woman with bright brown eyes walked past, giving him a playful wink as she went to her friends who were already sipping on drinks obviously bought by men.

"Nah mate," Cane said dismissively, eyes searching purposefully through the mob. "wait till you meet Loke, now that's the dream!" Cane said, the envy dripping from his voice. Within moments, Cane was on his feet, beckoning Laxus to follow him through the throng of people dancing oh so close and standing even closer. Cane weaved through the crowd easily but Laxus' bulk form was a little more difficult. But soon enough they stood before a man in a tight fitting suit and blue tinted glasses, but the most notable feature about him was the swamp of women all trying to attain his attention which seemed to be in short supply.

"God!" Laxus exclaimed, head snapping from side to side as he examined each of the beauties in line just to get a few seconds with him. Perhaps he was loaded, Laxus mused though it didn't seem like that kind of want. It seemed like they were all deeply connected to him in some miraculous circumstance.

"God's right." Loke said jokingly, extending a hand as he shrugged off perhaps one of the most beautiful women Laxus had ever seen yet she didn't seem to mind, patiently waiting or his attention to return to her. Laxus took his hand and noted he only had one ring yet it's beauty was something uncommon on a man's finger, the jewel sparkling in the offshoots of light throughout the club. "It's my dad's." Loke explained, leaning in a little too close to utter the words. Laxus nodded, taking a small step back despite himself. Cane and Loke both grinned at him before breaking into a fit of laughter, though Laxus sensed it was good natured. Loke extended a hand, placing it on Laxus' shoulder. "Loosen up man," he said, catching his breath before continuing "Cane's told me good things about you. He said you're an upstanding bloke." Loke said, eyes earnest. Laxus glanced at Cane, nodding in thanks of the compliment, Cane merely nodded back, wishing Loke wouldn't have brought it up so conspicuously.

Loke gave a quick glance to Cane and something seemed to pass between the two of them before Loke retracted his hand, taking a step back as if to correct himself. "Well I'll let you two to get back to your fun," Loke said with a nod, glancing over his shoulder where the female population of the pub was awaiting his return, but before he disappeared back into the throng he turned back "oh and Cane, you know who said they wanted you to go over to their place tonight, about midnight." Loke said, his face turning slightly serious at the possibility of Cane's refusal. Cane didn't seem to like the news, tensing up he stepped forward as if to hit him but paused, shoulders tense, his small form more intimidating presence.

"I'll go when I wanna go. I'm not some call boy." He snapped before setting off through the crowd, Laxus at his heels, leaving a disdainful Loke in his wake, though the frown was soon lost in cheap kisses.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: in this chapter I sort of adopted the whole anything goes in an AU thing so just go in with an open mind. And yes, this is just the beginning of mainly Cane's problems as you've probably guessed by the fact it's the third chapter… still suspense is fun. I hope you enjoy the set up. So far I've been pretty vague but things should start to make sense within the next few chapters. As always, read, review and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own fairy tail.

Laxus lifted his beer to his lips, the night had gone pretty normally for a night out except for that one encounter. Loke had come back over later when the women around him seemed to dissipate and apologised for the scene they'd caused earlier yet made no attempt to explain and Laxus wasn't comfortable asking questions like that just yet. Though he had to say Cane and Loke knew how to have a good time- it probably helped that Cane was always at some stage of drunk. It had taken Laxus a while to pick up on the subtle give-aways about Cane's drinking problem though no one around him seemed to be particularly worried and it didn't seem to create any problems for him. Laxus laughed when Cane confessed the reason he didn't get a license because he wasn't ever sober enough to use it, but the realisation that he was speaking the truth was slightly worrying.

"You're Cane's new roommate right?" a sweet voice asked, automatically gaining Laxus' attention. A woman of average height, bright blue eyes and short death white hair smiled up at him. It took a few moments to click in place- she was Cane's cousin, those of which he was protective which was a strange thing to affiliate with someone as carefree as Cane.

"Yeah, I'm Laxus. You must be his cousin." He said, forcing his eyes not to wander as it would do them no good. She smiled, nodding as she took up a seat beside him.

"Yeah, I'm Lisanna. Has Cane said something horrible about me already? I swear that thing with the brick was an accident!" she said, her broad smile revealing white teeth that practically glowed in the gloom. Teeth that would never get anywhere near his, he reminded himself. Laxus chuckled in response to her outburst, silently hoping Cane would show up and save him from his own imagination- Cane was right, they needed protection from guys like them, and not the kind of protection that came in a packet. Laxus hid a smile at his own joke behind his once again full glass.

"No, unfortunately for me Cane didn't share." Laxus said, glancing around the bar for something a little stronger to kill his all too present libido. "But I can't help but think it's strange to employ Cane at a bar." Laxus said, the beer making his tongue slip. Laxus cursed himself, hoping that the next time it slipped it wouldn't be into someone's mouth. Lisana tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, intent on an answer; Laxus had seen that look before, he wasn't getting out of this one without an answer at this level of intoxication.

"I mean isn't it kind of weird to have a drunk as a bar tender?" Laxus asked, the little tact he had flying out the window. Lisanna merely laughed, lightly tapping his shoulder with the palm of her hand.

"Thant's exactly why he makes such a good bartender." Lisanna chuckled, her eyes searching out her cousin though Laxus couldn't exactly connect the dots.

"What do you mean? Wouldn't he be drunk all the time?" Laxus asked, brows furrowed. Lisanna turned to face him, her expression quizzical.

"You mean you haven't noticed that no matter how much Cane drinks, he never really gets drunk?" Lisanna asked, her question making Laxus try to remember a time where Cane was truly drunk but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"I guess he doesn't," Laxus muttered, suddenly realising that it had been over an hour since he'd seen Cane. He pushed himself up off the stool. "Lisanna, do you know where Cane is?" he asked, swivelling his head from side to side, his vision a little fuzzy around the sides.

"I saw him talking with Loke a few minutes ago, up where you would have seen Loke before." Lisanna said pointing off in an odd direction. Laxus nodded his thanks, moving off through the crowd, willing himself to forget Cane's beautiful cousins and focus on getting the hell home.

He paused, convinced he heard Cane's voice.

"And here we go again with the love shit. Look woman, sure I wanna date you but that doesn't mean I'm in love with you or anything!" Cane snapped, exasperated but the pink haired woman seemed to be just as stubborn.

"But love is everything! If you don't have love then what's the point in living?" she asked, her tone almost accusatory. Cane ran a hand through his hair in frustration, obviously about to say something both of them would regret in the morning so Laxus did the only thing he could think of- provide his friend with an out.

"Hey Cane! I'm heading home, wanna split a cab?" he called, pushing his way towards him, ignoring the fuming woman now glaring daggers. Cane dismissed her with a roll of the eyes, his answer plain as day as he walked towards the exit.

Thank god the night was over…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: hey guys, I started writing this again and I've decided that over the next month I want to get this story finished, so be prepared for a lot of chapters and much needed plot bunny extermination anyway, as always read review and enjoy. (I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it… who am I kidding, there's no way that's possible hehe)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"Hey Laxus!" Cane called from his place spread out along the couch, a bowl in his lap that once held Doritos, the orange aftermath a bitter reminder of what once was.

"Yeah?" he called back from the kitchen, filling up a separate bowl with chips, the cracked blue plastic familiar in his grasp as he walked back out to the living room, the TV bright with the paused image of Jonny Knoxville laughing hysterically at one of Jackass' many hilarious stunts.

"My family's having a get together this weekend, wanna come? They'll be heaps of booze and pretty ladies.." Cane insisted, raising his eyebrows suggestively. _Yeah, but none of which I can touch_ he thought to himself, considering the offer. Either way, knowing Cane there was going to be a tone of booze which was most likely free, plus he didn't have anything better to do (which would be hard to lie about to his roommate) so he settled for going.

"Is there free booze?" he asked, to which Cane rolled his eyes.

"There's going to be a drinking competition on the Saturday which is covered by my dad, but it always ends up me against my mum." He said, reaching over to snatch some chips rather than get some himself.

"How many people are going?" he asked, flipping the movie back on. Cane paused for a moment, doing the calculations in his head but gave up after a few moments in typical Cane fashion.

"Easily over a hundred, though two hundred might be pushing it." He said, sipping from his flask. Laxus wondered what he had in it today, vodka was a known favourite, but perhaps he decided to change it up as he often did. Cane noticed Laxus' eyes on his flask and offered it, Laxus' first thought was to decline but curiosity got the better of him reaching out he took a quick swig, a disgusting taste filling his mouth as it slid over his tongue. He quickly pushed the flask as far from his face as he could manage, coughing as he tried to repress his gag reflex.

"God, what the fuck is that?" he asked, eyes watering. Cane chuckled, taking back his flask.

"It's cordial and pure alcohol from the first aid kit." He said, taking another swig. Laxus eyes widened in disbelief.

"Why the fuck would you drink that?" getting to his feet in search of a can of coke.

"Mum said it would help get my tolerance up for the weekend, though now that I think about it she was probably just messing with me." He said, taking another swig.

"You didn't get that after you drank it?" he asked, guzzling down half a can in one shot yet the taste wouldn't fade, sticking to his tastebuds like a poisonous leech.

"There's heaps of stuff that tastes worse than this- haven't you ever had absinthe?" he asked, stealing a handful of chips, using Laxus' distraction as a cover.

"That shit's illegal!" Laxus snapped, a little worried about his friend's drinking experience.

"Oh, well that explains a lot." Cane replied, settling back to watch the rest of Jackass.

OOO

Laxus stared out the windscreen, men, women and children running about the driveway. Cane reached over Laxus and honked, sticking his arm out the window to wave to some faceless person in the crowd.

"Oi Loke!" Cane yelled, causing Laxus to notice the brunette walking steadily towards their car, a flock of women in toe. He flung the door open and slid in before slamming it shut and promptly locking.

"For the sake of god, drive Laxus!" Loke exclaimed, trying his best to ignore the women knocking on the window. Laxus hit the accelerator, a cloud of dust forming around the car as he sped down the drive.

"What the fuck was that?" Laxus asked, swerving to avoid hitting an elderly woman crossing the road at exactly the wrong time.

"I swear man, these women are going to be the end of me." Loke said, nervously glancing out the window for the umpteenth time.

"Easy fix, marry Aries." Cane said snidely, turning to face his glaring friend.

"Fuck you, Alcho." Loke snapped, once again turning back to peer out the window.

"I might appear to be an alcho but at least I'm not gutless." He retorted, smirking at his friends glare.

"Hey, where am I supposed to park?" Laxus intoned, not wanting to get between the two men. Cane gave Loke one last stare before turning back to the front. He glanced around briefly before pointing to a grass field with a few other cars parked in a straight fashion.

"Just park over there next to those other cars, nobody round here really cares." He said dismissively, considering turning back to Loke but thought better of it. Loke was left to fume to himself, staring out the window for potential stalkers. Laxus nodded is response, elegantly swerving his old station wagon next to a similar car. However this car had one distinct difference, the Fairy Tail gang symbol was painted on the door and the bonnet. Once he noticed one he couldn't help noticing. "Is your Dad in Fairy Tail?" Laxus asked, his bluntness kicking in. To his disdain both Cane and Loke began to chuckle, looking at him with amused grins. Laxus was about to snap at the pair to stop giggling like a pair of women and fess over when Cane spoke.

"My Dad is _the_ Gildarts Clive, Gramps' second in command, I thought you knew that." Cane said, his tone rather unpleasantly patronising. "Gramps was the one who told me to move in with you." Cane continued, unbuckling his seat belt as he did so.

"So you knew who I was the entire time?" Laxus asked, not sure whether to feel betrayed by Canes actions. They had been living together for months now and this was the first time he'd ever brought up Fairy Tail. Perhaps he assumed Laxus already knew about his affiliation with the gang. Well perhaps gang was a bit of an overstatement, though more times than not that's what they were labelled. "Plus isn't your last name Alberona?" he asked, trying to justify his confusion. Cane shrugged, exiting the car with his usual swagger, his grin making him look years younger.

"I just knew you were Gramps' grandson that had steered clear of Fairy Tail after you got back from the army. And yeah, lets just say my Mum keeps my Dad's balls next to her pearl earrings." He said with a laugh, nudging Loke who shook him off with a smirk.

"But don't let Gildarts catch you saying that or you're as good as dead." Loke said, raising his fist to bump Canes.

"Oi dickheads, wait up!" yelled a voice from behind them and naturally Cane turned around, looking for his addressor. Luckily for Cane it was merely Gray instead of one of his many accusers. Gray caught up to the three men, panting slightly which was worsened by Cane and Loke giving him a hearty pat on the back simultaneously, knocking what little air he had in his lungs out before he had a chance to recapture any.

"What was that for you arseholes?" he snapped but was ignored by his two friends.

"I wonder where Juvia is Loke?" Cane pondered, his mocking tone quickly caught on to Loke.

"I don't know Cane," he replied, raising a finger to his chin. "perhaps she's at the jewellers getting Grays balls plated with gold so she can wear them round her neck?" he asked, taking even more amusement from Gray's heated glare.

"Nah mate, Grey's balls were in those silver earrings she got for Christmas last year." Cane nodded seriously.

"Oh that explains it, I was wondering why they were so small." Loke replied, hi-fiving Cane as they finally arrived at the reception area. Laxus had been restraining his smirk but he couldn't help but snigger at the last comment.

The first thing to hit him as he took in the massive hoard of people was the noise, cheering, chatting, screaming, laughing, splashing and every other sound you can imagine bombarded him. His eyes widened slightly, nostalgia setting in as he saw the different coloured emblems tattooed on peoples skin, accompanied with grins that only appeared when people were surrounded by family. It made him slightly uncomfortable but he also remembered what it felt like to belong to these people.

"How long's it been?" Cane asked, wide eyed and curious as usual. Laxus glanced around, finally noticing Gray and Loke's disappearance into the crowd. He ran a hand through his hair, counting the years since he joined the army to protect his friends, and when he got back he realised how little these people knew of true loss, and after that realisation he just couldn't face them. He wondered if he'd known Cane was Fairy Tail if he'd refused his application. He was brought back to reality by Cane's insistent stare, shrugging as he made his move to disappear into the crowd. Being alone in a group of people was easy, almost comforting but he had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy here, not with these people.

He glanced down and noticed that somehow he'd had a beer placed in his hand, probably Cane's doing. There were people on every side, people who the longer that Laxus looked at them the more he recognised them- something he didn't want to do. Memories came to the surface of his initiation, of getting his tattoo, the parties, the sex, the good times which never seemed to end. But it did have to end, because this happiness wasn't real. What hardships did these people have to go through? Smiling and calling each other family was all well and good when the hardest thing you had to think about was how to pay your phone bill. He'd seen bullets, and blood and loss, genuine loss which could never be replaced or fixed. Do these people really think that this means anything? If war came to their door, literally to their front door and demanded whatever it wished would they still stand together?

"Hey Laxus?" Cane called, breaking him from his reverie, though he hardly minded. He watched as Cane pushed through the crowd, dodging hugs and claps on the shoulder. "Hey mate, do you wanna enter the drinking competition with me?" he asked, his curious grin lighting up his face once more. Laxus' eyes narrowed in suspicion- he'd said earlier that it always ended up with him and his old lady so why would he even need to participate?

"Why?" he asked, taking another sip of his beer, brows furrowed. Cane rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

"You afraid everyone will find out you're a light weight?" he taunted, taking a sip of his own flask to make his point. Laxus' eyes narrowed in irritation, the uncomfortable nature of the situation Cane already lured him into began to really eat at Laxus' patience at the brunette.

"I'm driving, so I better not." He said, finishing off his beer before folding his arms across his chest. Cane seemed confused, taking a step back as he took a swig from his flask.

"What are you talking about? We're staying the night here." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Laxus raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Like hell we are!" Laxus snapped, wishing he hadn't already had his one standard drink.

"They've already locked the gates, we aren't going anywhere." Cane explained, getting a little nervous as Laxus' agitation visibly rose. "I thought you knew it was an overnight deal?"

"How would I bloody know that? It's not as if you told me!" Laxus snapped, abandoning his alcohol quota and quickly downed another beer to calm his nerves.

"What are you talking about? Gramps said he already talked it over with you when he came to the club on Wednesday." Cane replied, obviously not liking being lied to in any sense of the word. Laxus froze, staring at his flustered friend.

"What do you mean the old man was at the club?" he asked, his grip on the bottle tightening dangerously. Cane considered taking the bottle from his grasp, preferably before it shattered but thought better of it.

"Gramps comes in once every couple weeks, I mean it is a Fairy Tail bar so it's sort of obvious he'd visit it." Cane said, glancing between his friends expression and the bottle. _Oh God_ Laxus thought to himself, feeling slightly light headed _the old man set this whole thing up. I'm so stupid!_ Laxus' breath became slightly laboured as he battled with his belated epiphany. "Sorry man, I guess I should've been a little more clueier about the whole thing." He said, his apology so genuine that Laxus was taken off-guard. "We could get a taxi home and I could for my brother to drive the car home tomorrow afternoon?" he offered, shifting uncomfortably as he took a longer swig from his flask only to discover it empty. "Shit, I need some booze or I'm gonna end up stressin'.." Cane muttered to himself, massaging his temples.

"Nah, it's fine mate." Laxus tried to reassure him though he sounded unreliable to his own ears. Cane looked up through his fringe, still debating whether to force Laxus into a cab or give in to the old man's meddling.

"Or option three," Cane said, his lips curling slightly at the idea though still far from his usual headstrong grin. "we go find the old man and kick his arse?" he proposed, unable to repress his grin as the words finally escaped his lips. Laxus chuckled, lifting his beer to his lips, grin matching Canes.

"I like that option," Laxus replied, tossing aside his beer.

OOO

"Oi, Lisanna, where's Gramps?" Cane called, his frustration rising as they had been lead on a wild goose chase for the last half an hour. Lisanna paused before pointing off to the drinking competition sign up area. "That crafty little bastard is really starting to give me the shits." Cane snapped, heading off towards the tent, Laxus in toe. Laxus would have chuckled if it wasn't about this particular crafty little bastard. But thankfully they had finally caught up to him as Cane locked eyes on him coddling little Asuka, a sight he would have laughed at usually but now with his flask dry every second swig he was not in the mood. "Got 'im!" Cane said quietly, discretely pointing over to the tent. Laxus locked eyes on his grandfather for the first time in years.

They were so close to cornering him, literally a few hundred metres away when a middle aged woman with long brunette hair and a face startlingly akin to Canes stepped in front of them.

"Cane! Have you been avoiding me?" she asked playfully, wrapping her arms around him which he awkwardly tried to wriggle out of.

"Yes, now I really have to go mum, and I have a feeling you know why." He snapped, shooting her a glare to which she had the decency to look guilty.

"Well if you want to be like that then you know I'm not budging." She quipped, raising an eyebrow as if to beg him to challenge her. Cane glared, it was the closest Laxus had ever seen Cane to hitting someone before, but he paused momentarily to look up at Laxus.

"It's not worth the risk of fighting her man, your going to have to go on alone." He said, the last half with a little too much dramatic flare for Laxus' tastes but he nodded all the same, eyes locked on his target. As Laxus disappeared into the crowd Cane turned back to his mother, shaking his head slowly.

"Cornelia, you truly astound me sometimes." He said bitterly, crossing his arms across his chest. She pouted in response, her playful nature something mirrored in her son.

"Is that really any way to speak to your mother?" she asked, mock hurt lacing her voice. Cane raised his eyebrows, his crossed arms tensing as he glared at her, heels brining her up to his eye level.

"You can't seriously be pulling that line right now." He replied, his stare piercing her façade too much for comfort. After a moment she broke his gaze, looking down at her feet.

"You know I feel bad." She said, and just as she had hoped Cane's memories and emotions all flooded to the surface, his own mind at war, both defending and accusing her. But there was one thing she hadn't realised, and soon the war settled into one voice, the voice of a friend.

"I don't care that you feel bad mum," he said, glancing over her shoulder to notice that both Gramps and Laxus had disappeared somewhere, whether that was positive or negative he couldn't tell. "you let Gramps manipulate me into bringing Laxus despite the fact he wants nothing to do with us." He chastised, more worked up than she'd seen him in years.

"Does he mean that much to you that you'd yell at your own mother?" she quipped, becoming increasingly uncomfortable as Cane's accusing glare continued. He ground his teeth, shoulders tensing further as he took a step forward. Cornelia was disturbed by the fact she felt the need to take a step back, something she'd never felt from her son.

"Oh I haven't started yelling yet mum." He growled, taking a much needed sip of his flask which was once again empty. He opened his mouth to continue but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Why does it look like my two favourite people are about to enter a death match?" Gildarts asked curiously, worry creasing his brow. Cornelia looked up, both relieved and embarrassed at being caught in this situation. Gildarts always had a way with Cane that she could never breach, a soothing nature that always put both of them at ease- that was probably why they always ended up fighting over something or other, they were too alike. Despite knowing she was in the wrong, she had important reasons for doing what she did, surely they would recognise that?

"Mum used me to con Gramps' grandson here by having me move in with him, and get him to come without knowing it was a Fairy Tail gig despite the fact he hates us." Cane said bluntly, sparing his mother a disgusted glance before turning back to his father. Gildarts paused before sharing a heated glance with Cornelia, at the end of which it seemed as if all questions were answered for him.

"You shouldn't be so harsh on your mother." Gildarts said sternly, to which Cane responded by widening his eyes in disbelief, shaking his head slightly.

"You can't be serious Dad, I mean, she used me!" he snapped, taking a step away from both of them.

"I didn't use you, don't be so melodramatic." She said evenly, trying to defuse the situation but by the look both gave her it seemed she did the opposite.

"What did you do exactly?" Cane asked sarcastically, looking to his father for support. Much to Cornelia's distress, he got it and soon both men were staring at her expectantly.

"Well Gramps was worried about his grandson whose best friend had just gone back to the army and I suggested Cane move in with him to put Gramps at ease." She said slowly, glancing between the two hoping for some kind of rebuttal from Gildarts but as expected with this kind of problem none came. "And when you said you were having a get together I suggested to Gramps to get Cane to bring Laxus along…" she said, not encouraged by Gildarts folding his arms across his chest.

"So in short you manipulated me into becoming his friend so you could be the secret orchestrator behind your 'happy families' project?" Cane snapped, his glare unnatural to Cornelia, disliking the way his eyes stabbed at her face.

"Calm down kid," Gildarts chastised but couldn't manage more than that. Usually he would be at his wife's defence in an instant but when it came to his son, it was hard to draw a division between the two.

"You know what, I'll see you at the drinking contest." He snapped, pushing past his mother to reach the tent. She pursed her lips, pressing them into a firm line as she tried to hold back the tears but ended up as she always did, folding ingot Gildarts arms.

"Did you see the way he looked at me?" she sniffled against his shirt, comforted by the tightening of his grip on her.

"I know Connie, I'm sure it'll be fine after a while. You know how Cane is, all heart and booze." He said, chuckling at his own joke, the sound enough to lull her back into her little bubble of bliss that always surrounded Gildarts.

"I love you, Gildy." She mumbled, snuggling harder against his chest. Her response was a brief kiss atop her head but it was more than enough.

OOO

"Explain, now." Laxus snapped, glaring at his Grandfather who led his to a more secluded meeting room in Gildarts estate, which seemed t Laxus as a bid for time rather than privacy.

"I thought it might be time you came back to Fairy Tail, so I suggested to Cane that you come along today." He said quietly, staring at his hands folded neatly in his lap. Laxus considered asking if Cane was in on it but his… genuine concern earlier was enough to blow that idea from his mind.

"Gramps, I chose to stay away for a reason. Just because I'm friends with Cane doesn't mean I would just forget all that." He said, for some reason feeling that being harsh was wrong despite his betrayal. The crumpled old man in front of him deserved something better than this but it just wasn't something Laxus was willing to give. "One weekend won't change all these years I've stayed away Gramps, I don't know what you were thinking." He said, sitting down on the newly upholstered lounge opposite the old man.

"I was hoping… you would… miss what you left behind." He said quietly, not daring to look up from his now trembling hands. Laxus sighed, guilt washing over him, trying to wash away his resolve to never again entertain this false sense of kinship, one that was forged in bliss not blood.

"How could I miss something that's not real?" he asked quietly, his words startling the elder man into looking up, searching his face for a trace of… something he could latch onto.

"So that's why you…" he muttered before taking a deep breath, eyes narrowing as determination set in. "Stay this weekend," he insisted, "look around, I mean really look into the people here and if you still think that Fairy Tail's bonds aren't real then I won't bother you with this again." He said, abruptly standing to leave. Laxus paused, his body unwilling to move from his seat.

Gramps was telling him to embrace everything he'd been repressing for years.

But why was he repressing it if it truly meant nothing?

Either way, Laxus would win this little wager and be free of Fairy Tail once and for all.

If all went to plan that is.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Read, Review and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"Hey Laxus!" Cane called, pushing through the crowd, all tense and agitated. The look was strange on Cane who was usually so carefree and… drunk. Laxus made his way through the crowd, ignoring the faces of the people around him. When they finally met in the centre of the crowd Cane ushered him towards the yellow tent Gramps was at before. "We are signing up for the drinking contest right now or I swear someone is going to die." Cane muttered over his shoulder, hoping Laxus didn't catch the threat.

"Ah, I don't think that's a good idea." Laxus said, his usual monotone kicking in after the emotional overload of having to deal with his grandfather and all of Fairy Tail in one go. Cane on the other hand thought it was a brilliant idea, and stopped mid stride causing Laxus to walk straight into him.

"And why exactly is that not a good idea?" he snapped, fingers drumming on his flask, the ringing noise indicating that it was painfully empty.

"I'm not a very fun drunk." He replied nervously, not liking this new intense Cane.

"Well I'm not very fun sober so I guess we're at an impasse." He replied, his tone dry. Laxus paused, trying to come up with an excuse for not drinking but at such a crucial moment his bullshitting skills failed him.

"Fine, just make sure I don't do something stupid." Laxus said, pushing past Cane to the tent, unaware of the massive grin plastered across Canes face. Laxus stormed forward, aware of Cane on his heels as he approached the table where a cashier holding a small little girl on his lap smiled up at them. It took a moment for Laxus to register who it was before him, the passage of time had changed both of them in a lot of ways, exemplified by who he was assuming was his daughter on his lap. A second later a green haired woman came up beside him bringing food, her torso round with another child. He smiled as she kissed his cheek then their daughters.

"Thanks Bisca," he said, smiling up at her in a way Laxus had seen few men actually achieve. She smiled back before turning to the black haired girl.

"They ran out of coke so I got you creaming soda, is that ok?" she asked, brushing the girl's fringe back out of her eyes.

"What's that?" she asked, examining the cans. Bisca smiled, whipping a bit of imaginary dirt from her cheek.

"It's the pink one you like, do you want it?" she asked, pushing it towards her. She nodded, grinning she held up the can for her father to open which he did, kissing the top of her head in the process.

"Enough with the adorable family sh… stuff" Cane joked, correcting himself after a very obvious glare from both Alzack and Bisca. But within an instant both their eyes were on Laxus and within another instant they widened in surprise.

"Laxus?" They exclaimed in unison, their surprise palpable. Cane, slightly confused glanced up to see Laxus smile awkwardly at the couple.

"It's been ages, I can't believe you have a kid now." He said, both horrified and intrigued by the little girl.

"Her name's Asuka." Bisca said, nudging Alzack gently with her hip. Their intimate communication just too strange for Laxus to process in one sitting.

"You guys know each other?" Cane asked, surprised that Laxus was ever chummy with the love birds of Gagsville.

"Yeah, we were in the same classes in high school and we went on our initiation run together." Alzack said, grinning at the memory.

"That was one of the most terrifying nights of my life." Laxus confessed, chuckling, "it's up there with loosing my.." Laxus paused, realising too late into the sentence he had to keep it child friendly. "cat." He finished, comforted by Alzack and Bisca's familiar laugh.

"That must have been horrible for you," Cane said, eyebrows raised.

"Oh right, you guys must have come to sign up for the drinking contest." Alzack said, rummaging through a stack of boxes to find a plastic bag full of bands, each with the Fairy Tail insignia on it.

"So the usual rules apply," Alzack said, looking at them expectantly. Cane casually lifted his shirt, revealing a surprisingly toned abdomen, his Fairy Tail tattoo sitting comfortably on his torso. Laxus looked to him in confusion which was met with one of understanding.

"It's the rules that to participate you need to be an initiate because too many idiot would show up for the free booze and do stupid sh.. stuff," Cane explained, sparing a glance at Asuka who thankfully was preoccupied gathering permanent markers into her clutches. "So you just need to show your tatt." Cane said, slipping on his wrist band and placing his hand palm down in front of Asuka. Laxus gave an uncomfortable glance at Alzack but he didn't seem to waver. Rolling his eyes he raised his shirt, his tattoo sitting slightly higher than Canes but still just as prominent.

"There you go." Alzack said, offering the hand band which Laxus accepted, if a little hostile.

"Thank you sweetheart." Cane said, giving Asuka his most charming smile. She nodded, biting her lower lip as she blushed. Laxus offered his hand reluctantly, watching carefully as she drew a smiling sun on the back of his hand. When he was satisfied she wouldn't murder him through ink poisoning he raised an eyebrow at Cane, a little confused at the extra measures.

"People stole the hand bands one year, but you can't fake an original Asuka drawing." He explained, "She remembers all of them, the little genius, and if you get caught with a fake one Gramps gets them charged with trespassing so it's not really worth the risk for free booze." He continued, a feint smirk tugging at his lips at Laxus' drawing.

"What now, do I have to strip to prove I'm male?" Laxus snapped, clenching and unclenching his hand to get rid of the feeling of her little hands clutching his. Cane gave him a reproachful look before turning to Asuka.

"I really like the drawing you gave him sweetie," he said quietly, her face turning a brighter shade of red. "I think you might be right." He whispered, ignoring Bisca and Alzack's questioning looks. He turned to walk away, Laxus following seeing as he had nothing else to do or anyone else to see.

"What was that?" Laxus asked, nudging Cane with his elbow as they walked towards the barbeque line. Cane shrugged, but his grin wouldn't quit.

"It's a secret between me and Asuka." He said, and Laxus knew he wasn't going to get anything more from him so he let his eyes roam. Perhaps he'd find another 'surprising transformation', he thought to himself when he locked his eyes on someone he hadn't expected to see.

"Ever?!" Laxus called, making a b-line straight for her, however she was too busy draping herself over some white haired man to notice him. He reached out, gasping her arm and spinning her to face him.

"Laxus?!" she said in surprise, diving forward to give him a quick hug, but not long enough to alarm her overly muscular companion.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, not sure why he felt so… betrayed at her appearance. Her brow creased in confusion, slipping off her glasses.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I'm a part of Fairy Tail too," she replied curtly, "just because you stopped doesn't mean I did, or Bixlow or Freed for that matter." She said in a very informative manner, one which really grated on Laxus.

"Is Freed here too?" he asked, glancing around for any lash of green hair.

"Yeah, Levy talked him into coming. Something about a blind date or something." She said, her tone casual which made Laxus even more frustrated. So the two of them had been an active part of Fairy Tail all these years and never brought it up? He looked at her and considered his options; either leave and ignore her presence until a time where he wasn't chained somewhere or have it out now and stress out more. The first was definitely the most preferable and he took it, turning his back on her to walk steadily back to Cane who was looking very worried despite his efforts to the contrary.

"A friend?" he asked when Laxus was back within earshot. He nodded, his message loud and clear; drop it now and no one gets hurt.

"When does this bloody drinking crap start?"

OOO

"You must be Laxus!" Cane's mother said before downing another shot. "You look more like your grandfather than Ivan," she said before downing yet another shot, "which is good for you I guess." She concluded with a giggle, downing another shot.

"You knew Dad?" he asked, it wasn't easy to find someone who knew his dad let alone was willing to talk about him, jail birds tend to have that affect.

"Yeah, we grew up together: Me, Ul, Gildarts, Macao, Waccaba and your dad." She explained, while most of those names meant nothing, they did ring a bell, a bell Laxus would have preferred to have not heard.

"Was he always a prick?" he asked, downing his own shot. She paused, considering his question thoroughly.

"Nah, but I'm not the best judge of character. If you asked Gildy I'm sure you'd have him saying he was satans spawn after a few drinks." She said, giggling at her own joke. "Though knowing your grandfather, he's got to be something like that."

"Like what?" he asked, downing another shot, the alcohol fuzzing everything together.

"An angel or a demon, how else could he bring so many people together?" she asked, reaching over to ruffle his hair, and for some reason he couldn't say no to her. Maybe it was because she was so like Cane it felt almost natural to have her that close to him.

"I'd go with demon in that case." He said, chucking back another shot. He glanced around, surprised that only three other people had made it to the semi-finals. Cane sat at another table, downing shot after shot but his competitor lazed on the table, too drunk t raise the shot to his lips. Cane glanced over at Laxus as he looked at him, he gave Laxus a cheeky wink, his face a little slower than usual but not as slow as Laxus returning grin.

"That's a little harsh," Cornelia muttered to herself, too preoccupied with her own issues to be interested in her son's expression as Laxus turned back to his shots. With nothing better to do Cane downed the rest of his shots one after the other and stood, stumbling over to Laxus' table.

"And here I thought you were a light weight," Cane said, lightly punching Laxus' shoulder while ignoring his mother. "why don't you drink more?" he asked, considering asking for more shots while waiting for Laxus to finish up.

"Two reasons," he said, downing one of the last few shots however he was in far worse condition than Cane and Cornelia. "one, I have to get us home" he continued, pausing to down another shot. "and two, I'm an asshole when I'm hung-over." He said, downing his last shot. Before he could continue his explanation Cane gripped his wrist, holding it up in victory. The crowd that had gathered clapped and the pile of drunks groaned.

"The final round will be held in one hour." A voice announced from somewhere. Laxus began laughing at the thought that Canes old man actually had microphone speakers in his house. Although the joke was lost on Cane and Cornelia who looked at him with worried expressions, though they still weren't talking of course.

OOO

"Listen kid, you don't have to keep drinking." Cornelia reasoned, disliking the shade of white Laxus was turning.

"I'll drink if I wanna drink you scheming…" Laxus began but lost momentum right before the juicy part, well at least in Cane's opinion.

"Duude, ifs you keeps goinging you'll vomits…" Cane intoned, worried as his friend rose another shot to his lips.

"Then quit 'n' I won't 'ave to drinks shmore," he reasoned, "I'm not gonna lose to an old hag and a sdrunk." He said, downing another shot. Cane chuckled which turned into a round of hysterics when he saw his mothers glare.

"This old hag could drink everyone here under the table let alone a lightweight like you!" she snapped slugging back three shots, one after the other. Cane grinned at the challenge, also slugging back three shots easily. Laxus stared at the pair in disbelief, they were truly inhuman.

"How many shots have we done?" he asked, lazing drinking three shots to catch up.

"This is the 65th round," Alzack said, impressed with Laxus' ability. Laxus paused as he considered the number, sure that this was the most drunk he'd been in his entire life.

"Don't think about the number kid," Cornelia attempted to reassure him, pushing a shot towards him clumsily.

"How are you even alive?" Laxus asked, downing his 66th shot. Cornelia chuckled, downing her shot but refrained from comment, wary of Cane's desire to keep their condition on the quiet side.

"An act of god?" she joked, glad to see her son relax instead of his raging state from earlier. Cane however wasn't as relaxed as he appeared, inside he was seriously concerned for Laxus' welfare, the man's face paler than he'd ever seen it but he persistently drank another shot.

"You don't look so good." Cane mumbled, pushing Laxus shoulder lightly to see if he'd fall, but Laxus fortunately held his ground, shrugging off Cane's hand.

"I'm fine!" Laxus snapped, taking another shot, his eyelids drifting shut as his head came to rest on his forearm, breathing slow and even. Cane chuckled as Laxus quickly succumbed to sleep, his large form toppling backwards with a little help from Cane.

"He's down," Cane announced, waving his arms about excitedly. "Let's crank this up!" he yelled, raising his fist into the air, index finger pointing skywards. A gesture that was mirrored by every conscious crowd member, though many mostly incapacitated members gave a valiant effort. "Bring out the Absinthe!" Cane yelled, welcoming the cloudy green liquid.

OOO

Laxus woke up, groggily opening his eyes as he sat up to see what he vaguely recognised as a dim tent. His head was a whirlwind of pain, the sound of his own groan heightening the pain despite not being sure if that was even possible.

"Here," a familiar soft voice said, pushing a glass of something into his hand and a pair of pills. Laxus didn't bother asking what they were, chucking them in his mouth and washing them down his throat with what turned out to be water. Lying back down he felt the slow relief of whatever she had given him kicking in. She? Who exactly was it that gave him the drugs? He had a gnawing feeling that he knew the voice, it was from someone he knew really well. Ever perhaps? No, the voice was too soft, too gentle to be Ever of all people. But why did he think of Ever in the first place? Where was he? That's when the realisation hit, he was in the infamous drunk tent at a Fairy Tail with Wendy shelling out Panadol. Wendy… was at a Fairy Tail party…

"You ok?" she asked softly, pretty sure that despite the enormous amount of Alcohol the Panadine Forte should have kicked in by now.

"Give me some more of those pills and then we'll see." Laxus ground out, with much effort once again pulling himself into a sitting position.

"But-" Wendy began but was abruptly cut off.

"Give me the meds Wendy." He snapped, hand outstretched waiting for the pills while the other slowly massaged his temples, the motion doing little to quell the residual ache. Wendy paused but thought the better of refusing her older brother in this state. She sighed, rifling through a box to finally grasp a standard Panadol sheet, popping two pills onto her hand.

"Here," she said quietly, dropping the pills into his hand. He grunted in thanks, dry swallowing them due to his depletion of water. Wendy pushed a can of Fanta into his hand, watching with a worried expression as he fumbled opening it, unable to grip the lid with shaking hands. Wendy reached over, opening it for his quickly before retracting her hands, not sure what to expect.

"So, you're here too huh?" he asked, glowering at her as he took a mouthful of the sugary drink. Wendy shrugged, crossing her legs as she patiently watched her older brother for signs of alcohol poisoning, which to her relief didn't seem to be any.

"Well it is a Fairy Tail party, and they're always in need of medics so I thought I'd help out." She explained, glad that her training as a doctor was actually useful to her nakama.

"I'm glad you're having fun." He said bitterly, crushing his now empty can in his hand. Wendy frowned, not sure what to do; should she make him stay here or let him lose and let them deal with him? The second choice was the easiest yet most dangerous for everyone in a 1km radius. "Where's Cane?" he asked, sick of having to think about the fact that practically everyone he knew was here despite him not knowing anything about it.

"He's probably getting some dinner over by the bonfire," she said, pausing with alarm as Laxus got to his feet, rather wobbly. "Where are you going?" she asked, getting to her feet in an attempt to block his way to the exit which was rather ridiculous considering the tent had no sides.

"I'm going to find go find Cane," he said, glaring at his little sister as he ran a tense hand through his hair.

"Umm, I think you should lie down for a bit more," she blurted, hoping to usher him back to the makeshift bed. But Laxus was going to have absolutely none of what she was selling, pushing past her it took him all of three seconds to work out where the bonfire she was talking about was located. Stumbling towards the large glowing light Laxus was once again bombarded by the bright lights, overly loud people and lines of Fairy Tail members, attempting to secure either the bathroom or the much sought after food tables. He glanced around, trying to locate Cane.

After a few moments he spotted him sitting at table with little Asuka on the table, scrubbing his face with a sponge. Cane had his eyes closed but couldn't stop his grin as the little girl tried to scrub off the black permanent marker from his cheek.

"What happened to you?" Laxus asked with a smirk, pulling up a seat beside him.

"Good to see you're alive, mate." Cane said, before remembering to close his mouth. Laxus realised he wasn't going to get anything out of Cane any time soon so he turned his gaze to Asuka.

"Hey Asuka," he called, hoping he remembered the name correctly and thankfully she turned towards him, pausing before resuming her work. "what happened to him?" he asked, gesturing to Cane. Asuka bit her bottom lip but with an encouraging look from Cane she began to speak, though quietly was an understatement.

"Uncle Loke and Uncle Grey drew silly things on Uncle Canes face while he was sleeping." She said, biting her bottom lip once more as she examined her work; there was still the moustache and the drawing she didn't recognise on the other cheek to clean.

"So your Uncle Cane lost the competition huh?" Laxus asked, not feeling so bad about his own defeat if Cane got mowed over by his own old Lady. But Asuka shook her head, scrubbing Cane's upper lip as Cane chuckled at the feeling. "Then what happened?" he asked, leaning over to snatch a can of coke from an esky the next table over.

"Uncle Cane won, then fell over and had a sleeps." She replied, her eyes narrowing as Cane's laughing shook his entire body which then reverberated through the table.

"Oh," Laxus replied, a little disappointed he missed the spectacle. But it was soon forgotten as Laxus realised what Cane had drawn on his cheek. The inked phallus was enough to make anyone chuckle but the writing above it gave Laxus a massive grin. "I didn't realise you were so into Justin Beiber." Laxus said, smirking as Cane's head snapped around to glare at him which in turn gave him a scowl from Asuka.

"I'm sorry Asuka!" Cane said hastily, turning back to face her. Asuka sighed, reminding Laxus of her mother back in high school, always sighing and moping about, though he assumed he knew why now.

OOO

"Since when do you gamble?" Laxus asked, sitting down at a table with the few people he was comfortable being around. He'd spent the entire night dodging catching up on 'old times' with every second person, it almost seemed like there was a message out to approach him at all costs, though knowing his grandfather that probably wasn't too far off.

"What goes together better than booze and cards?" he asked from his chair before glaring briefly at Loke and Grey who grinned back.

"You missed some." Gray said, pointing to his entire face. The joke was only appreciated only by Gray and Loke, which preceded to hi-five. Cane rolled his eyes, shuffling the deck, as he chanced a grin at Laxus who returned it though perhaps not as enthusiastically as the brunette.

"Anyway, because we're always broke," Cane explained, ignoring the two giggling idiots, "the first person to lose has to do a dare. You cool with that?" he asked, expertly dealing the cards.

"Bring it!"

A short time later.

Laxus picked up his cards, forcing his face to remain neutral as he counted three aces and two kings. Laxus confidently raised the bar, putting in three chips, however not enough to arise suspicion. He glanced at the other players, curious as to Cane's massive grin but decided that playing mind games would only lead to confusion. Though little mystery was left about Gray's hand as he groaned, tossing his cards down on the table.

"I fold." He said, pinching the arch of his nose as his hand was once again painfully abysmal. The three men chuckled at their friends misfortune. Laxus was much more relaxed, no one wandered over to their table, the noise wasn't as ear splitting and the food Mira brought over was the best Laxus had in a long time. It had been years since he, Bixlow and Freed had kicked back, and it was rather refreshing to not have to mind your words or your booze.

"I raise it to ten." Cane said, tossing in his coloured pegs and plastic chips. Laxus considered whether or not to fold, he had little over ten chips left and it looked like Loke was feeling confident.

"I match you and raise you to fifteen." Loke wagered, looking to Laxus for the deciding move. Laxus took one last fateful glance at his card before making the decision that would change everything in ways he wouldn't realize for months to come.

"I'm all in." he said, pushing all sixteen chips into the centre. He paused for a moment, the three nodding to each other before revealing their cards.

"Three aces and a pair of kings." Laxus said, pretty confident his risk would pay off big time, but Cane's grin didn't drop.

"Flush bitches!" Cane said, showing a mismatch of suits ranging from 8 to the queen. Loke smirked, revealing his hand.

"Royal flush bitches!" Loke snapped, smirking as Cane's eyes widened in shock, reaching for his cards to verify.

"Well aren't you the luckiest bastard in the world." Cane snapped, tossing the cards down onto the table.

"What the fuck?" Gray said, in awe of their ridiculous hands. "All I got was a bunch of shit and you lot get fucking flushes and three aces?!" Gray said, hands covering his face.

"Yeah but at least you still have chips to lose." Loke said smugly, smirking as Laxus leaned back in his chair, not sure whether or not that was real- he'd had a lot to drink, maybe he was hallucinating?

"Damn." Laxus muttered, not sure what to hope for. Cane gave him a piteous look, as if he was farewelling a dead man.

"Sorry man, I'd take your place if I could." Cane said, resting a hand on his shoulder in mock comfort.

"As if!" Gray laughed, looking between Laxus and Loke. Laxus frowned in confusion, what was everyone getting so worked up about?

"What are you talking about?" he asked in his typical care free monotone, taking another sip from his beer which he knew was an extremely bad idea but it help supress the nausea.

"Loke is possibly the worst human being on the planet to get for a dare." Gray explained as Laxus shrugged off Canes hand, worry creasing his brow, unable to build much of a façade when intoxicated to such an extent.

"Shut up, it's not like I'm going to dare him to rape anyone!" Loke snapped, pushing Gray a little harder than necessary.

"That time you dared Natsu came pretty close." Cane intoned, taking a long swig of his beer before turning to hear the verdict.

"Ok, I might have gone a little far that time." He admitted, unbuttoning his jacket to hang it over the back of his chair. "But that was ages ago anyway. Plus I have a special dare for Laxus, anyway." Loke said, giving a meaningful look to Cane which he didn't seem to appreciate.

"Laxus I dare you… to kiss Cane on the lips, with tongue."


End file.
